Joe Mancini Not Your Average Joe!

Joe has recently been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL). Please don't worry though, he's going to kick this thing and be even stronger when he's done!

We want to share the story leading up to Joe's diagnosis because we've learned some valuable lessons in the past 2 weeks (...the slowest 2 weeks ever imaginable).
Joe had been complaining of stomach/abdominal soreness and pain for a few weeks. It wasn't too severe or frequent, so he attributed it to the new gym work out he had started. We were on vacation in FL when Joe woke up with excruciating abdominal pain and thought he may have had acute appendicitis. We rushed him to the ER where they did a CT scan. The ER Dr. came back into our room and told us his scan was normal and he had Gastritis or some other unidentifiable GI issue. We left the ER relieved and went on to enjoy the Florida sunshine. The twinges of abdominal pain didn't stop, however, and they were actually becoming more frequent and a little more painful.

We got back to Denver, and Joe was scheduled to leave the following night to attend a convention for work. When he woke up that next morning, he decided to go to the ER again because he knew something wasn't right...maybe it was a hernia that the first Dr. missed? He went to the ER at Rose Medical and they promptly did another CT scan. This time, the radiologist viewing the scan saw a mass in Joe's abdomen and several other enlarged lymph nodes around his body. We were told this was most likely cancer and Joe was admitted onto the Oncology floor at Rose. It was a Sunday so we were told nothing would happen and we would have to wait until Monday to do a biopsy to confirm their suspicion of Lymphoma.
They did a needle biopsy of the tissue and then another waiting game...
When the pathology report from the biopsy finally came back, the diagnosis of NHL was confirmed. We were lucky enough to get connected with an awesome lymphoma specialist at Anschutz and he has recommended 6 cycles of chemotherapy to get rid of Joe's misbehaving cells. 

Although we would much prefer not be going through this, we have learned a couple things:
     - Listen to your body! Even if you've been told by one Dr. that everything is A OK, if your gut (literally in this case) is telling you otherwise, don't ignore it! Don't ever feel     bad about getting a 2nd opinion.
     - The human body is truly amazing. There are many millions of miracles happening inside of us at a cellular level as we go about our daily lives. Don't take this for granted! Thank your body for all that it does by treating it well :)

We are ALL right here with you, Joe. For those who aren't physically close by, we'll continue to feel your love through your thoughts and prayers, good vibes, guidance and direction, support, and "air hugs".
Joe,  I will be here for you, holding your hand as we go through this together. I love you!